Our dog was vaccinated on 10/18 with the usual boosters. On 10/24 he started coughing and was diagnosed with kennel cough (bordetella) on 10/25. We were out of town on vacation at the time. We returned home on 10/30 and he was still coughing occasionally. Our 3 gp's stayed at home under the excellent care of a friend, but 2 of them seemed to be sneezing a lot yesterday. Is there any way the pigs could catch the germs from the dog? The dog is terrified of the pigs and rarely enters their room.

True. This makes me think that all of us with dogs should get them vaccinated against this with their other vaccinations. I don't know if the vaccination is good for a year, but it would be worth checking into.

I had a relative that had a dog who came down with Bordatella. It was terrible to listen to that poor dog hack, and hack. He was on medication for the rest of his life and died of complications of it years later.

I have my dog vaccinated for it annually. He is boarded very unfrequently ( every other year for maybe a day or two ) , but I never want to take the chance of him getting it. After hearing a dog with it, you would do so too.

I don't think sneezing is symptomatic of Bordatella.

I would bring the pigs into the Vet for a consult if the sneezing persists.

When I adopted my dog from the humane society, he came to me at under a year old with bordatella pneumonia (which they get after having had bordatella for a long time). His right lung was hematized and they thought they were going to have to remove it, but we tried a course of antibiotic therapy and after two pills a day for 6 months, he was cleared up! He had never barked or panted (!) until he was better.

Keep your coughing dog away from your pig room, and change clothes and wash up between interacting with the dog and with the pigs. If at all possible, keep the dog outside while he's recovering. I believe the suggested quarantine is 30 days.

A good way to tell if the dog really has bordetella is to apply pressure to his throat with your hand, like you were pushing in on where his "adams apple" would be if he were human. Bordetella dogs will cough and hack as this pressure is applied.

Ditto. Bordetella is airborne, and endemic in even the cleanest shelters and boarding facilities. This is one of the many reasons a full quarantine is necessary for any animals rescued from shelters.

Please take your guinea pigs to your vet for a checkover. From Marvistavet.com:

"Bordetella infection can be picked up by rabbits, guinea pigs, pigs, cats (if they are very young and housed in groups), and other dogs. It is not contagious to humans though it is closely related to Bordetella pertussis, the agent of Whooping Cough."

Bordetella is responsive to trimethoprim sulfa, an inexpensive, simple to use and cavy-safe antibiotic:

Thanks, everyone. I finally got a hold of my vet mid-day yesterday and she confirmed that the piggies are at risk. But she won't prescribe antibiotics unless they exhibit symptoms. All 3 pigs were completely normal yesterday afternoon and evening--no sneezing or coughing, eyes bright and clear, good appetites, normal activity levels. We'll schedule a check-up for them quickly. They were all bright-eyed and obnoxious this morning while demanding their usual refills of pellets and hay.

My vet also confirmed that our dog got the bordetella as a result of his vaccination for it. He did get the vaccination with the rest of his boosters and seems to be in the extremely rare group of dogs who develop the illness as a result of the vaccine. The vet who diagnosed the bordetella applied pressure to the dog's throat, as Paravati suggested, and the poor dog coughed and coughed and coughed. He has responded well to his antibiotics and has not coughed in over 24 hours. I think he's out of the woods and we're keeping a very close watch on the pigs.

My vet routinely vaccinates all dogs annually for Bordatella. Since the titer levels drop quicky, however, I choose to vaccinate twice a year as I do volunteer at the local Humane Society and don't want to take any chances.

There were some good suggestions here on quarantine procedures and I would chime in saying to handle the ill dog LAST. Take care of the pigs while you are clean and unexposed to the dog, then take care of his needs later. I would also drop my clothes into a plastic bag until they can be washed, and definitely shower if possible between handling one species to another. I also put my shoes into a disinfectant wash. This may be a little extreme for your situation, but take what seems reasonable and do-able for you.

Sorry for your extra stress, and hope all goes well and the pigs stay healthy and your pup has a speedy recovery.